Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including remotely piloted and autonomous drones are used in a wide variety of applications such as surveillance, filming, and exploration. In some situations, an unmanned aerial vehicle is tethered to an object via a cable to collect data in the area around the object. For example, an unmanned aerial vehicle may be tethered to a car to collect pictures, audio, and video of the area around the car when a collision occurs. As an unmanned aerial vehicle flies through the air, gusts of wind or other disturbances may cause unintended movement which impedes the unmanned aerial vehicle's ability to collect data. For example, unintended movement may cause an on-board camera to become off-centered and images or recordings of the camera to become blurry or unclear. Thus, there is a need for a system of maintaining alignment between an unmanned aerial vehicle and an attached cable while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight.